Keywords
Abstract
Since the proclamation of the "New Uzbekistan" vision and the adoption of the Presidential Decree on measures to improve the foreign language learning system (2021), English Language Teaching (ELT) in Uzbekistan has been repositioned as a pillar of national human capital development. Within this reforming landscape, policy documents emphasise competency-based education and the cultivation of 21st century skills critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication yet classroom practice frequently remains shaped by transmission-based traditions, examination cultures inherited from the Soviet period, and an acute disparity in the distribution of qualified teachers and digital resources between the capital and the regions. This study investigates how 21st century skills can be developed within ELT beyond Tashkent, drawing on a qualitative case study conducted at Bilim Ziyo, a private English language centre in Angren, Tashkent Region, over one academic semester. Data were generated through twelve structured classroom observations, six semi-structured teacher interviews, and four learner focus-group discussions involving thirty-two adult learners at B2 level. Reflexive thematic analysis reveals that task-based instruction, project-based learning, and digital multimodal tasks are the pedagogical approaches most strongly associated with skill integration, while high-stakes assessment regimes, constrained access to professional development in regional settings, uneven digital infrastructure, and the sociolinguistic complexity of Uzbekistan's trilingual environment (Uzbek, Russian, English) constitute the most consequential barriers. The study argues that realising the transformative potential articulated in Uzbekistan's reform agenda requires targeted regional investment in teacher professional development, assessment redesign, and digitally equitable resource provision conditions that cannot be assumed outside the capital.
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